Originally Posted by ramAnag
Reply With QuoteHow's this for a new slant on the referendum. Looking at the implementation of the result of a first past the post vote.
More people voted Leave than voted Remain. That means that the UK will leave the EU.
What the referendum didn't address was the how. There was always 2 routes the UK could go down. Either leave without anything in place and go down the WTO route (unless some 3rd world country vetos that idea, something which appears to be within WTO rules) or to reach some agreement with the EU on how the 2 entities will cooperate with each other going forward.
What would the separation mean for citizens of one entity who live in the other entity. That is important. Cooperation between legal systems and those who carry it out such as the police. Will the intelligence services still work together. Effects on air and sea travel due to restrictions in air space and territorial waters. Military cooperation outside of NATO and many, many other things. Common sense demands that there is some kind of agreement because without it there could be mayhem and chaos.
A deal is, IMO, an absolute necessity. A deal opens a path, an orderly path, to keep the status quo until such time as all those extermely important and vi-tal issues have been solved and the trade agreement between UK/EU has been agreed in order to cause the least amount of problems possible.
The ballot paper didn't mention a deal but, logically, it was a vote on what hapeens not how it happens.
IMO it has been an act of utter stupidity from both sides to spend 3 and a half years quibbling about the framework yet spending no time on choosing what meat to put on the bones. There are a lot of UK citizens who will never vote again and that is down to the government and the EU Commission who have both been way too intransigent.
Why did they take the decision to delay trade talks until the framework was complete? Why did it take the UK well over 2 years to come up with a standpoint in October of 2018?
I blame Remain politicans who should have been active from day 1 but weren't. They have been completely disrespectful of the result by their (in)action.
It looks highly likely now that there will be No Deal. I hope we don't see Indonesia or the Phillipines or some other country veto the WTO route. If that option disappears I have no idea what will happen to tariffs other countries put on UK goods and services. Even with WTO tariffs there will be 48% on lamb exports and 84% on beef........
The politicians charged with carrying out the result of the referendum have an awful lot to answer for and that is true whether you voted Leave, voted Remain, have since changed your mind, didn't vote or have become so disenchanted with politics you don't give a toss anymore. There were more leave votes than there were remain votes. It was an advisory vote but the PM had promised that whichever standpoint won would be carried out. That should have been worked on with gusto. It has, as far as meaningful and serious action is concerned, been put on the back burner or probably off the stove altogether. I fully understand why so many have lost faith in politics.
